SOL Inc. giving a solar makeover to a U.S. Embassy, GreenBus lets grid operations mingle with back-office tasks and an exclusive EV race scheduled in England.

Halfway to President Obama’s Weatherizing Goals

Energy Secretary Steven Chu is at it again. The Department of Energy announced that more than 300,000 low-income homes have been weatherized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This is an important milestone in President Obama’s goal to make 600,000 homes energy efficient under the ARRA. The program helps low-income families save money on their monthly energy bills by improving their homes’ energy efficiency with insulation upgrades, air-sealing and cleaner heating and cooling systems. The initiative has also trained more than 15,000 workers nationwide, increasing employment. Weatherized homes demonstrate an average of 35 percent reduced energy consumption, saving families an average of over $400 on their utility bills in the first year alone.

SOL Inc. Giving Solar Makeover to U.S. Embassy

SOL Inc. is partnering with the U.S. Embassy in Panama City to provide solar lighting systems so that the Embassy can meet President Obama’s energy efficiency goals. The President has ordered all government agencies to increase the nation’s prosperity and promote energy security while protecting taxpayer interests and keeping the environment pristine. Federal agencies are required to meet eight energy management goals including reduction in energy intensity and use of renewable energy among other demands. SOL’s solar lighting will use LED lighting in parking lots and renewable solar energy to illuminate areas of the Embassy.

GreenBus Lets Grid Operations Mingle with Back-Office Tasks

Green Energy Corp. has developed a new product, dubbed GreenBus, that allows gird operations and back-office tasks to interoperate in a safer and data-driven architecture. The GreenBus is a “middleware” product that can create customized and standard drivers to enable power providers to move online with the Smart Grid. The company’s GreenBus Alliance Program offers technical support and marketing to develop Smart Grid applications for utility and microgrid operators.

EPA Administrator to be Keynote Speaker at EUEC Conference

Gina McCarthy is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the nation’s largest energy, utility and environmental conference being held next week in Phoenix, Arizona. The EUEC 2011 will host leaders from a handful of premier energy companies and research facilities such as Xcel Energy, Electric Power Research Institute and the DOE. McCarthy is the Assistant Administrator for the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. She will address the EPA’s schedule to pass regulations for power plants in accordance with the agency’s recent two-year plan to set greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act.

Exclusive EV Race Scheduled in England

If we have electric cars, there has got to be some EV racing, right? A number of electric vehicle records have already been set in single vehicle speed trials but now EV racers are getting their own competition series. The EV Cup is set exclusively for electric vehicles. The competition has four scheduled races in England from August to October with additional races in planning for Spain, Portugal and the U.S. Racers will drive THINK City cars in a CityEV division, a SportsEV class and a custom open-cockpit EV class. An additional PrototypeEV distinction will allow drivers to take time trials for EVs that are still in the design stage.